Welcome Home
by felinemimimarquez
Summary: It had been over a year since she had lived in the loft. Yet she was back…
1. Maureen?

**Disclaimer: Not mine. As usual. So stop asking, kay?**

**A/N: Wow. Sorry about not writing anything in forever. Well, this is for my friend and I hope she enjoys it.**

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**Welcome Home**

It had been over a year since she had lived in the loft. Yet she was back…hoping that they would take her in. Praying someone was home…praying that that someone was not Mark. She couldn't handle Mark right now. Mark was too prying, although he meant it all for the best. She just needed someone who didn't ask questions…someone like…Roger.

Roger? How had she come up with that thought? She never in a million years thought she would be needing him like she did right now. But she _did _need him and she _was _at the loft so she might as well go for it. She raised her hand, knocking on the door.

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There was no answer at the door. She knocked again and the door slid open, revealing a very surprised Roger. "Maureen?" he asked, looking at her. She nodded silently in response. "What are you…?" He paused, trying to take in what stood in front of him. This woman was not Maureen. This woman was way too thin and covered in bruises to be Maureen.

"Can I…" she managed to get out, feeling him looking at her. "Oh, of course" he said, realizing how stupid he was being. "Please." He stepped out of the doorway, watching her come in. He slid the door closed. "Can I get you anything…a drink or something?" he asked, knowing that a drink wouldn't really help her. She shook her head, stumbling over to the couch and sitting down, her body shaking.

He followed her, sitting on the small table across from the couch and looking at her. "Maureen…what happened?" he asked gently, clearly concerned.

"Oh. Um…." She couldn't say the right words. Hunched over, she felt herself begin to cry. Immediately Roger was at her side, holding her close to him. "Ssh…" he murmured, rubbing her back. "You don't have to tell me." She nodded, burying her head into his shoulder as she cried. "Joanne…" she said in a choked voice. "She…she did it"

Roger felt his jaw drop. Quickly, he shut his mouth, anger surging through him. "No." he said, shaking his head. "No. Oh god….I'm so sorry…I don't know what to say…" he was rambling and he knew it.

"Roger, stop. You aren't helping." She said quietly, looking at him, the hurt showing in her eyes. He nodded, touching her cheek lightly and brushing away a stay tear.

"Can I…" she said softly, not breaking eye contact. "Stay here for a while? Just until I find a new place… I can't go back there…" He nodded, his hand still on her cheek. "Of course you can…after all, this is your home."

"Thank you" she murmured, curling up into his lap and resting her head on is shoulder, closing her eyes. "Thank you…" she said again as she drifted to sleep.

"Welcome home…" he said softly, stroking her hair. "Welcome home."

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**A/N: Mmkay. Finished. I hope you like it. I might continue this one if I get good reviews.**


	2. Joanne

**Disclaimer: Not mine. The end.**

**A/N: So I decided to add another chapter for all of you who are confused about Joanne. Hopefully this will clear things up a bit.**

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**Joanne**

Mark still wasn't home when Maureen woke up a few hours later, still in Roger's arms. Her mind was reeling. Why was she in Roger's arms? Why was she back at the loft? And then everything hit her in one word. Joanne.

"Morning…" Roger murmured as he saw her open her eyes. "How do you feel?" Maureen gave him a look. "Shitty" she grumbled, rubbing her head. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck and thrown off of a cliff." Roger bit his tongue, looking at her sadly. "Do you…want to talk about it?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Okay" she said softly, nodding. "It's sort of a long story…but I need to tell someone." She took a deep breath and began.

"It all started when she started a new case. It was a really big one, and she started to work more. She would leave the house early and come home late. We used to have lunch together...but then she said she was too busy and I hardly ever saw her. She was always too tired when she came home from work to talk." She paused, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "And then she started getting really stressed...and she would come home and yell at me...she would go around the house screaming until she found me. She scared me. I tried to hide from her...but she always found me." She paused again, looking at Roger.

"You don't have to tell me..." he said gently, rubbing her shoulder."I understand if you don't want to talk about it anymore."

Maureen nodded slowly, continuing with her story anyways. "But last night...she came home early and I wasn't there. I was at the market. When I got back she started throwing a fit about how I wasn't home when she got home. I tried explaining to her that I went to get groceries, but she was convinced I was cheating on her. And she hit me...she hit me." She started to cry again, burying her head in his neck.

"And then you came here..." he murmured, finally understanding."You're safe here Maureen...I won't let her touch you." She nodded, sniffling slightly. "Thank you Roger" she said softly, pulling away and looking at him, touching his cheek. "Thank you" He nodded, looking her in the eyes.

Maureen let out a small, nervous laugh, taking her hand off of his cheek and wrapping her arm around his neck instead. Subconsciously, Roger pulled her onto his lap. Maureen smiled slightly, pulling his head towards hers. Within seconds, her lips were on his.

"Roger?" asked a voice. Someone was home.

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**A/N: Here's your Joanne explanation. This will be a longer fic, for all of my readers.**


	3. Screwed

**Disclaimer: Everything besides the story idea belongs to Jonathan Larson.**

**A/N: Dun dun dun. Yeah. Someone walked in. Now you get to find out :-p**

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**Screwed**

"Stay down" Roger hissed, pulling away from Maureen and pulling his head over the couch. "Oh, hey Collins."

Collins walked over, leaning on the back of the couch. "Hey man. Did I wake you up? Sorry if I did. I was just in the neighborhood and decided to stop by." Roger laughed slightly, trying to figure if he could get Collins out faster so Maureen wouldn't have to stay crouched on the couch. "Uh yeah…you did wake me up" he said awkwardly, his face turning red. "I was asleep! Yeah, I was sleeping" he said with a squeak. Maureen had laced her arm around his waist and had one of her hands in his back pocket.

"Are you okay Roger?" he asked, studying his face. "Jesus man, I don't even want to know who is down there"

"No!" he cried, partly to Maureen and partly to Collins. "Nobody is down there. I just…uh… hit my leg on one of the broken springs, that's all." Collins smirked, nodding. "I'm supposed to believe _that_? That was a terrible excuse." He peered over the side of the couch "Hi Mi…" He trailed off, realizing the person next to Roger wasn't Mimi. "Maureen?"

"Uh…um...hi Collins." she said with a blush, trying to hide her black eye. "How are ya?" His jaw dropped slightly, seeing her arm around his waist. "I'm not even going to ask" he said, shaking his head. "No! Collins, it isn't like that." She said frantically, taking her arm off of Roger.

Roger looked at Maureen. "Look, I need to talk to Collins… why don't you…" She nodded, getting off of the couch and keeping her head down, walking into one of the bedrooms.

Collins looked at Roger, raising his eyebrow. "What happened to Joanne? What happened to Mimi?" Roger grimaced at the sounds of their names. "Oh. Right. Well, you know Mimi and I broke up and now she's back with Benny. And well Joanne…" he sighed, rubbing his head. "She hit Maureen and that's why she's here."

"Joanne hit Maureen?" he asked in disbelief. Roger nodded. "That's how she got that black eye…" Collins sighed. "You are _so_ screwed when Mark gets back, I hope you know that." Roger looked at him, confused. "Why do you say that?"

Collins shook his head at Roger. "I'm not blind. I saw you two. Mark is going to kill you. He still loves her." Roger cursed, rubbing his head. "Just go, okay? Maureen needs someone right now, and that someone isn't Mark." Collins shook his head again. "I'm disappointed in you…" he said, leaving the loft.

Roger sighed, hitting his head on the side of the couch. He was _so _screwed when Mark got back. Mark still loved her. But she kissed him, not Mark.

"This is going to get ugly…" he muttered, getting up to go find Maureen.

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**A/N: Yeah. Sorry to everyone who thought it was Mark or Mimi. That would have been the easy choice. :-p**


	4. Screwed Part II

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Jonathan Larson. I only borrow them and toy with their lives.**

**A/N: I am going to continue the story, but I will stop if no one responds to my chapters.**

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**Screwed Part II**

Roger walked into his room and found Maureen sitting in front of the mirror without her shirt. "Maureen?" he asked, trying to not look at her reflection in the mirror. "What are you doing?"

She looked up at him, turning scarlet. "Oh. Um..." She covered her stomach quickly, scooting away from the mirror. "Uh nothing...I mean..." she trailed off, watching him take her shirt off of his bed."Can I have that back?" He shook his head at her. "What's wrong with your stomach?" he asked quietly, sitting on the edge of his bed and turning towards her.

"N-nothing's wrong with it" she stammered, not looking at him. "You're lying and you know it" he said firmly. "Tell me."

She slowly stood up, walking towards him with her arms still crossed. She stopped in front of him, looking at her feet. "Maureen..." he said again, sitting on her shirt."Show me." She shook her head. "No." she said in a small voice, trembling. "Maureen please...I just want to help...please." he said, begging her now.

She nodded slowly, pulling her arms away and shoving her hands into her back pockets. Roger gasped slightly when he saw the damage. "Did you do this?" he asked, examining the cuts. "Can I have my shirt back?" she asked quietly, dodging his question. "Please..."

"Did you do this?" he asked again, touching her arm. She shook her head slightly. "Not all of them." she replied. "She did some of them." Roger nodded. "You mean Joanne?"

"Yes. Her. She helped. Can I have my shirt back _now_?" she asked impatiently, reaching for her shirt. "Nope" Roger replied with a smirk, grabbing her shirt and scooting back. "Rogerrrr" she whined, jumping onto the bed and reaching for her shirt again.

He shook his head, laughing. "No way. You look better without one anyways." She smacked his arm, sitting on his legs. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Now gimme my shirt back" she said with a pout, reaching behind him for it. "Hell no." Roger replied, taking her by the shoulders and rolling over so she was now under him.

"What...the...fuck..." Mark said slowly, standing in the doorway. All he had seen was Maureen without a shirt and Roger on top of her. "Roger...Maureen?"

"No Mark... it isn't like that!" she said frantically, pushing Roger off of her and grabbing her shirt.

"It sure looked like it was..." he said, shaking his head.

"Look Mark, I can explain." they said at the same time as Maureen pulled her shirt back on, but not before Mark noticed the cuts along with her black eye.

"Oh my god…Maureen, what happened?" he asked, slightly frantic. "Look Mark, I can explain that too…" she said, getting up. "Look, why don't we go for a walk or something and I'll tell you the whole story."

Roger winced. The whole story. That included them kissing….Mark wouldn't like that.

Mark nodded. "Okay…let's go" They left the apartment together.

Once they were gone, Roger fell back onto the bed. "Fuck…" he muttered, rubbing his head.

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**A/N: So there you go. Mark came home!**


	5. A Walk in the Park

**Diclaimer: Not mine. I wish I owned them, but I don't **

**A/N: For all of you who _finally _reviewed. -cough- I'm continuing for now.**

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**A Walk in the Park**

Mark looked at Maureen as they headed out. "Do you want my jacket?" he asked, concerned. "Here, take it" He took it off without waiting for her reply. "No Mark…I'm fine" she murmured, handing it back to him. "Really. I'm not cold." Mark gave her an odd look. "Mo, it's the middle of winter and you're in jeans and a T-shirt. You must be cold." She shook her head. "I'm fine" she insisted, rubbing her arms. "Stop worrying."

"How can I not worry?" he asked, taking his scarf off and wrapping it around her neck. "Keep that on" he said as she tried to take it off. She nodded slightly. "Okay"

"I do worry about you Mo" Mark said gently, his hand bumping against hers. "Oh, sorry" he said with a blush. Maureen nodded in response. "It's fine" she said quietly. "You shouldn't worry."

"I worry because I love you" he said, looking at her. Then he realized what he had just said. His face turned a bright shade of red. "I-I didn't mean it like that" he said quickly, stuttering. "You know, as a friend…" Maureen laughed slightly. "Of course Mark" she replied, knowing that he was lying. "So uh…what happened?" he asked, feeling awkward.

Maureen sighed. "Well, it's a long story" she said, playing with the end of his scarf. "I have time" he replied, smiling slightly. Maureen nodded and sat down on a bench, waiting for him to join her. He sat, looking at her.

"I'm giving you the sort version." She said, clearing her throat. "Well Joanne started a new case and she never had time for me anymore. We hardly ever saw each other. She would come home and yell at me. And then last night…" she paused, rubbing her neck. "She came home and she got so mad and she hit me. I left this morning after she went to work and I came to the loft…I thought I would be safe there…that she wouldn't find me. And you weren't home and Roger was there and…" she trailed off, not really sure if she wanted to tell Mark about kissing Roger.

"And what?" Mark asked gently, resting his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to tell me…you know that, right?" She nodded, swallowing thickly.

"And I kissed him" she said quickly, not looking at him. "I didn't mean to, it just happened…I was so scared and he was being so nice and understanding and I just did it."

Mark nodded slowly. "Mo… look at me. " He said, turning her head so he was looking at him. "I'm not mad. We aren't together anymore. I have no need to be jealous or anything." he said calmly, even though inside his heart was breaking. Maureen's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Mark…" she murmured, her body trembling. Mark didn't reply. Instead he pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. "Ssh…it's going to be alright…don't cry…" he murmured, rubbing her back.

She hiccupped, burying her head in his neck. "I think something is wrong with me…" she murmured. "No, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just been through something traumatic. You're confused."

She pulled herself away, wiping her eyes. "Can I…?" she asked, looking at him. "Can you what?" he replied, confused. "Can I kiss you?"

"But you just…" Mark stammered. "I mean, uh…if you want to…" Maureen sighed. "I need to make a choice. How am I supposed to know if I want to be with you or with Roger if I don't kiss you?"

"I don't understand…if you have feelings for Roger then why do you need to kiss me?" She looked at him sadly, tugging on the striped scarf. "Because I don't know if I have feelings for _you_." Mark licked his lips nervously. "Uh…okay. Um I mean…you can if you want…"

Maureen nodded, leaning over and kissing him lightly.

"What the fuck are you doing?" asked a voice.

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**A/N: Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger! Hehe. Review and you'll find out who it is. **


	6. Taken Away

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything that has to do with Rent**

**A/N: Here is yet another chapter. Thanks to all my reviewers. I love you all! **

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**Taken Away**

Mark and Maureen sprung apart instantly. A mocha arm shot out, grabbing Maureen's wrist and pulling her off of the bench. "You're coming with me. " The voice said sternly, shoving her towards opened car door. "Do you know how worried I've been?"

"No. You can't make me come with you" Maureen said icily. "I'm a grown woman and I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm not scared of you anymore." Mark looked over at Maureen, panic showing on his face. "You're coming with me" the voice repeated, tightening the hold on her wrist. Maureen winced slightly, looking at Mark desperately.

Mark looked back at her. "Mo, I'm going to go back to the loft…okay? I'm going to go talk to Roger." He said, giving her a look. She nodded, swallowing back her tears. "Okay" she said quietly, watching him walk off.

Maureen was then shoved into the car. The car door was slammed and the person climbed in, driving off.

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Mark hurried back to the loft. He ran in, going over to the phone. "Roger, find me the phone book" he said, trying to catch his breath. "What? Why? Where's Maureen?" he asked, setting his guitar down and pulling the phone book out from under a table and watching the table topple over. "Who am I looking up?"

"Find Joanne's address. Her last name is Jefferson." He said, picking up the phone and dialing 911.

"**WHAT**? You let her go with **JOANNE**?" Roger cried, frantically flipping through the **J** section of the phone book. "I didn't let her!" he protested. "I'll tell you in a second." Roger rattled off Joanne's address to Mark as he told the operator what happened. Mark hung up, still looking panicked. "The police are there. They're sending an ambulance. Let's go."

Roger nodded, heading towards the door. "You can tell me on the way." He said, sliding down the stair rail. "Move it Cohen." He barked once he was at the bottom. "Maureen needs us."

Mark stumbled down the stairs, mumbling things under his breath. "Okay, let's go" Roger took off down the street. "Do you know how to get there?" Mark thought for a moment, sprinting after him. "Yeah. Just keep going straight."

Roger nodded. "Why the fuck did you let her go with Joanne?" he asked, trying not to strangle Mark. "I didn't _let_ her go with Joanne. Joanne found us when we were on our walk. We were sort of kissing and she showed up and shoved Maureen into her car and drove off."

"_You_ kissed her?" he asked, stopping in his tracks. Mark gulped, blushing. "She told me she kissed you too. She said something about having to make a choice between us and not knowing unless she kissed me too. Please don't be mad…" he begged, continuing down the street. "Look, we can talk about this after we know Maureen is safe."

The turned a corner and ran a couple more blocks before stopping at Joanne's apartment. The police were still there but there was no sign of Maureen.

"Where is she?" they both asked at the same time. The officer looked up. "We'll give you a ride to the hospital." Mark and Roger looked at each other, panicking. "The hospital?" Mark asked weakly. Roger pulled Mark into the waiting squad car, too stunned to say anything.

"She's going to be fine…" Roger murmured over and over until the car stopped. They both ran into the ER. They were sent to a room. It was empty. Maureen wasn't back yet.

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**A/N: Wow. I really like cliffhangers. Cliffhangers are fun cuz I know what's going to happen and you don't. So review and you'll find out!**


	7. Hospital

**Disclaimer: I do own the music book, but that's about it**

**A/N: Happy Halloween guys! Uh yeah, another chapter. This is sort of a filler chapter, so it's gonna be short.**

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**Hospital**

Maureen walked into the hospital room with Mark's scarf still around her neck. "Jesus, you guys look like someone died" she said with a laugh, unwinding the scarf and tossing it at Mark.

"Oh my god…" Mark cried, looking at her. "You're alive. You're okay." Roger just started at her, his jaw hanging open. Maureen nodded. "I scared you guys…didn't I?" she asked quietly, the realization hitting her.

Roger nodded slowly. "We thought you were dead…" he said, standing to and walking towards her. "I'm so sorry" she murmured. "The doctors had to check me out anyways…they wanted to make sure she didn't hurt me."

"She won't hurt you anymore" Mark murmured, watching Roger hug her tightly. He felt his throat tighten, wishing he was the one holding her.

Roger let go of her, kissing her cheek lightly. "Mo, you're moving into the loft, okay?" Mark nodded in agreement. "You can have Collins' room."

She shook her head. "No. Guys, I couldn't…I don't have any of my stuff." Roger held up a hand. "That's where you're wrong. One of the officers said he was going to clear out your stuff. I told him what was yours."

Maureen sighed. "Just until I find my own place, okay?" The boys both nodded. "Can we discharge you now?" Mark asked, looking around.

"Oh, I'm already discharged. I just had to find you two." She said with a small smile. "Let's get out of this hellhole" Mark stood and walked over to her. "Shall we?" he asked with a smile, holding his hand out.

"We shall" she said, taking both of their hands and walking out of the room. Once they were out of the hospital, Maureen grinned at them. "Thank you…for everything." She said, squeezing their hands gently.

"Of course" Roger said with a slight nod, smiling back at her. "Anything for you." Mark added, smiling as well.

Maureen's bags of clothing were sitting outside the loft when they arrived. "You might as well unpack" Mark said with a smile.

Maureen nodded, dragging the bags to Collins' room. "Thanks again guys. I owe you big time"

Mark looked over at Roger after she was in the room. "She's going to have one hell of a time deciding…" Roger muttered, running his fingers through his hair nervously. Mark sighed. "Maybe she won't decide…maybe she'll just live here for a bit. I don't know."

Roger grumbled something under his breath, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "She's going to drive us insane."

Mark laughed. "That's one thing we do know"

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**A/N: Muha. Uh yeah. Message me with who you want Maureen to go with. Cuz I have no clue as of right now. Sorry it's so short**


	8. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: Only the plot is mine. Thanks for asking.**

**A/N: Mmaky. I got the results. Thanks guys. You'll find out eventually. Don't worry.**

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**Nightmares**

It was around four o'clock in the morning when they heard the screams. Both blondes awoke, scrambling out of their beds and out of their rooms and into the hallway, almost crashing into each other. Wordlessly, they opened the door to Collins' room, walking slowly towards the bed where Maureen was thrashing around.

"Maureen…" Roger croaked sitting on the bed and touching her shoulder. "Wake up…please wake up." Mark went over to her other side, sitting as well.

"No…no please…" Maureen mumbled, still asleep. "Please don't…" Roger shook her shoulder. "Wake up" he said a bit louder, looking over at Mark.

She didn't wake up from her nightmare. Instead, she hit Roger's chest, obviously not realizing who he was.

"Mo…" Mark murmured, trying to get her to stop moving around so she wouldn't hurt anyone else or herself. "Wake up." He said a bit more firmly, shaking her other shoulder.

This time she awoke with a start, sitting up instantly. "Oh my god…" she mumbled, her whole body shaking. "Ssh…" they both murmured, looking at each other.

"It's okay now." Roger whispered, wrapping his arm around her. She noticed the angry red mark on his chest. "Oh my god…did I hit you? I'm so sorry"

"It's fine. I'm fine. You didn't mean to." He said with a small smile. "Are you okay?" Mark sighed, watching them for a moment before taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "You scared us" he said softly, running his thumb over the top of her hand.

"I'm so sorry…" Maureen said quietly. "It was terrible…I was there…watching her hurt me…" She seemed to choke on her words. "No matter how much I begged, she wouldn't stop…" She let out a small sob, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You're safe now…" Roger said reassuringly, hugging her gently. "We won't let her come near you anymore." Mark nodded in agreement. "She won't touch you" he added, letting go of her hand and squeezing her knee, trying to comfort her. "You should try to go back to sleep."

"I-I can't…I'm so scared." She managed to get out between sobs. Roger glared at Mark. How could he even suggest that? She was terrified and it was obvious to anyone. "Ssh…you don't have to" he murmured, rubbing her back and holding her tightly.

Mark's face turned scarlet when he realized how stupid he sounded. "I'm sorry Mo. " he said quietly. "I should go..." he said, getting off of the bed. "No! Mark, stay…please" she cried ash she saw him trying to leave. "Please." He nodded and sat back down, resting his hand on her knee again.

"Do you want me to go?" Roger asked, taking his arm off of her shoulders. She shook her head. "No. You guys make me feel safer."

"Okay" he said, running his fingers through his hair and leaning back on her pillow. "Let me get more pillows, alright?" She nodded and watched him leave.

Mark looked at her nervously, biting his lip. "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this" he said quietly, looking at her. "Marky, don't be sorry…it isn't your fault." She said quietly.

Mark sat in shock for a moment. Did she just call him Marky? She hadn't called him that in ages…since they were a couple. He snapped out of it when Roger came back in, tossing a pillow at him. "I brought another blanket too."

"Thank you" Maureen murmured, smiling at him and laying down, sighing. "Do you want to sleep?" Roger asked, throwing the blanket over all of them and laying down.

"Will you guys stay with me?" she asked quietly. "I'd feel so much safer if you did." There was a pause. "Of course" they both said after a moment, looking at each other. This was going to be awkward.

Maureen smiled, kissing their cheeks lightly before closing her eyes. Both men sighed, carefully rolling next to her, Roger wrapped his arm around her waist and Mark rested his hand on her stomach awkwardly. They smiled at each other before drifting to sleep. Maybe everything was going to work out after all. Only time would tell.

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**A/N: I know, I'm terrible for not telling you now. You will find out in the next few chapters. Don't worry.**


	9. Decision

**Disclaimer: None of it is mine. I wish. –adds RENT ownership to Hannukkah list-**

**A/N: Here you go. Her decision.**

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**Decision**

Maureen was already gone when the two men woke up the next morning. Each had a letter sitting on their stomachs. They both say up and looked at the envelopes, confused. "Uh…should we read them?" Mark asked, picking up his glasses and putting them on. "I guess…" Roger said, tearing his open. "Whatever they say, no hard feelings, right?"

Mark nodded slowly. "No hard feelings" he repeated, opening his envelope carefully. Both of them scanned the letters silently. After a few moments, Mark looked up at Roger. "Congrats" he said in a choked voice, trying to not break down in front of him. "Mark…" Roger said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry? Hah! That's funny Roger. You always get the girl you want. No need to feel sorry for me." He spat, blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes.

Roger sighed, running her hand through his hair. "Mark, I didn't want it to be like this…" he muttered, looking at him. "I know that it's hard…" He sighed, trying to figure out what to say to him.

"Shut up, okay? Just shut up. Nothing you say is going to make me feel any better." Mark snapped, glaring at Roger. "You don't know what it's like, loving someone for so long and not being able to have them…and then maybe…just maybe you'd have a change again…and then it gets taken away from you. It kills you inside." Mark's voice cracked as he got off of the bed, running out of the room into his, slamming the door behind him.

Roger watched him leave and got up, going to his room to change. Maureen was asleep on his bed. He ignored her and grabbed some clothes, changing quickly. He sighed, looking back at her. He walked over his bed, touching her shoulder. "Wake up…" he murmured, shaking her slightly. She mumbled something and swatted his hand away. "Wake up" he said firmly, shaking her again.

She opened her eyes sleepily. "Oh. Hey Roger." she said as she sat up. He looked at her, shaking his head. "Why?" he asked quietly. "Why did you do this? You're killing Mark." She sighed, not looking at him. "I can't be with Mark…" she murmured. "Why Maureen? Why?" he asked, sitting on the edge of his bed. "It's sort of a long story…" she mumbled, slowly looking up at him slowly.

"I have time." He said, resting his hand on her knee. She nodded. "Okay. Mark…well… he has a really bad temper, right?" Roger shrugged. "I guess." He said carefully, not really sure where she was going.

"And when we were dating…he would get mad. A lot. And he would yell and it was scary and I don't want him to lose control and hit me like Joanne did." She said quickly, stumbling over her words. "He was so paranoid about where I was and who I was with and it drove me crazy and I can't do that again."

Roger sighed in response. "I never noticed…" he said softly, squeezing her knee, trying to calm her down. "But he does love you and he would never hurt you…ever." She shook her head sadly. "I don't want to get hurt again…please understand Roger…please."

"I do understand…" he murmured, reaching over and taking her hand, pulling her closer to him. "I do understand." She sighed, leaning her head against his chest. "Thank you…" she murmured, closing her eyes. "Thank you for everything."

He nodded slowly, rubbing her arm gently. "Don't worry about it." He said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey Roger?" she asked, opening her eyes and turning to look at him.

"Yeah Maureen?" he asked, twirling a piece of her hair around his finger.

"I love you…"

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**A/N: Mmaky. Don't hate me for the choice I made for Maureen. You all voted and this is what I got.**


	10. Love

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Still. I only own the plot **

**A/N: Muhaha. This is where I get to have my fun.**

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**Love**

Roger stared at her for a moment, clearly shocked. "Maureen…no" he finally said. "Please, don't…" She looked at him, the hurt showing in her face. "Don't you love me?" she asked quietly, scooting away from him.

"I don't-I mean, of course-I mean…" Roger was stumbling over his words, not sure what to say to her. Maureen got off of his bed, grabbing her jacket and shoes. "You don't love me" she spat, pulling her shoes on.

"Maureen, no. It's not that. It's just everything was good and now there's all this tension…" he trailed off, looking at her seriously. "I just don't want to ruin anything between you and Mark or Mark and I…please understand." She shook her head at him, pulling her jacket on. "I don't understand…I chose you…and you're turning me down." Maureen had never been turned down in her life. She didn't like it. "I'm leaving" She turned and walked out of his room. Roger followed her.

"Maureen, don't leave" he begged, grabbing her hand. She wrenched it away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Give me one good reason why. And don't say because I love you." He looked at her sadly. "I don't know" he said quietly.

Just then Mark came out of his room. His eyes were red and both Maureen and Roger could tell that he had been crying. "Mo, where are you going?" he asked, noticing that she was dressed as if she was leaving. "Oh. I'm leaving." She said quietly. "I'll be back for my stuff later."

Mark was confused. "You're leaving? You mean you're moving out?" She nodded slowly, trying to ignore the hurt look on his face. "I have to. I'm so sorry." She bit her lip and ran out the door, heading out into the street.

Mark turned to Roger. "What the fuck did you do to her?" he asked angrily. "Why did she leave?" Roger shrugged slightly. "She said she loved me…and I got scared and I couldn't say it back to her and she got upset and now she's gone." He said frantically, staring at the door. Mark blinked. "She said she loved you?" he asked slowly, feeling his throat tighten. "I don't think she meant it" Roger said quickly, rubbing his head. "I don't know. I panicked and now she's gone."

"Do you love her?" Mark asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Roger sighed. "I don't know what love is anymore…I thought I loved April…and she's dead. I thought I loved Mimi…and she ran off with Benny. Everyone I thought I loved is gone." Frustrated, he kicked the wall. Mark walked over to him and touched his shoulder. "You should go after her.." he said, feeling his stomach sink and his heart shatter.

Roger shook his head. "You should go after her" he replied, turning to face Mark. "No" he said quietly. "She chose you…you needs you…not me" He walked towards the fridge slowly, going to get a drink. "She'll be back" he said, watching Mark. "We don't have to go after her…" Mark said nothing. Instead he grabbed a few beers out of the fridge and went into his room, shutting the door.

Roger sighed and grabbed his guitar, going out on the fire escape and trying to ignore the sobs that came from Marks room.

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**A/N: Okay, go ahead and hate me. It gets better, don't worry. Sorry it's so short. Another filler chapter.**


	11. Anger

**Disclaimer: Still not mine…pssh. **

**A/N: Mmkay. You might have got where I'm going if you reread a chapter. If you didn't get it, you will now.**

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**Anger**

Maureen came back a few hours later. Roger was no where in sight. Sighing, she walked over to Mark's room, knocking on the door lightly. "Marky? It's Mo…" she said softly. "Please let me in. I'm sorry."

The door creaked open to reveal a red-eyed Mark. His cheeks were puffy and he reeked of alcohol. "Marky…you've been drinking." She said sadly, reaching out to touch his cheek. He immediately swatted her hand away. "Don't touch me" he mumbled, stumbling backwards slightly. She grabbed his arm, steadying him. "You're going to bed." She said firmly, dragging him towards his bed. "You're drunk."

"I said not to touch me!" he cried angrily, trying to pull her hand off of his arm. She tightened her grip, pushing him lightly onto his bed. "You're going to thank me later" she said calmly, trying not to show him how afraid she was.

He stayed standing, glaring at her. "Get away from me!" he shouted, pushing her off of him. "Leave me alone! You ruined everything!" She stumbled, taken aback by how hard he had pushed her. "Mark please" she pleaded, reaching out to him. "Baby you're drunk…"

"What gives you the right to call me baby anymore?" he spat, his eyes shining. "Baby is here anymore. Marky isn't here anymore. It's just me…just plain old Mark." She looked at him, grabbing his wrist. "You aren't plain old Mark. You're drunk and not thinking and you're going to hurt someone…" she said quietly. He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I'm going to hurt _you_ if you don't leave me alone." He said with a slur, laughing slightly.

Maureen blinked a few times. "I'm not leaving" she said, biting her lip nervously. "Please, don't be like this…please." She was begging him now, the fear now showing on her face.

"Hah! You're scared of me now…aren't you? Maureen Johnson, afraid of me…Mark Cohen…the nobody! This is priceless…absolutely priceless. Where's my camera?" He turned away, stumbling over to his camera. "Mark no!" she cried, frantic. "Put the camera down…" She reached for it just as he set it down. "Thank you…" she murmured, letting out a sigh of relief.

Mark laughed hysterically, his shoulders shaking. "You" he mumbled, pointing at her. "Go lay down." He said, turning and pointing to his bed. "Okay." She said quietly, going to his bed and laying down, unsure of what he wanted. Mark grinned, going over and propping himself over her.

"Mark…what are you doing?" she asked nervously, her breath catching in her throat. "You're drunk. Please don't…" She pushed him off of her, immediately regretting it. His hand connected with her cheek, making a sickening noise. She blinked a few times, obviously shocked. She got up off of his bed, tears running down her face. A red handprint was now visible on one of her cheeks.

Mark sobered up the instant he saw her crying. "Oh god. Mo…" he said quietly, biting his lip. "I don't…I'm so sorry…I wasn't…" he trailed of, his voice cracking. He got up slowly and walked over to her, touching her cheek lightly.

"Ow!" she cried, wincing and slapping his hand away. "What the hell was that for?" He blinked, startled by her outburst. "I'm sorry." he mumbled, touching her jaw and turning her head slightly to get a better look at her cheek. "I just wanted to see…" She grabbed his hand, taking it away from her face. "Just wanted to see what you did? Well, it hurts. Don't touch it."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I wasn't thinking…" he said quietly, his face turning scarlet. Carefully, he reached out to brush away some of her tears. "You're drunk" she said flatly. "Now go to bed." He nodded and shuffled over to his bed, setting his glasses down on the bedside table.

She walked over and pulled the covers back. "I'm sorry Mo…" he said again. "Don't worry about it" she said softly, pulling the blankets over him and kissing his forehead. "I forgive you" He sighed, closing his eyes. "Stay with me…" he murmured, grabbing her arm.

"Okay." She said with a nod, sitting on the floor by his head. "Let go of my arm." She murmured with a small smile. He complied, drifting to sleep. She watched him sleep, sighing every so often and rubbing her sore cheek.

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**A/N: There you go! Don't hate me too much for making Mark mean and drunk. It all works out in the end**


	12. We Need You

**Disclaimer: I wish RENT was mine. But it's not.**

**A/N Okay, so for all of you who didn't understand the last chapter, Maureen was hinting that she was scared of Mark being abusive in Chapter 9. And then in Chapter 11, he hit her because he was drunk and she wouldn't leave him alone. Just a note because some of you were confused.**

**And again, if I don't get a lot of feedback, I will discontinue the story because it's no fun to write a story that nobody reads or comments on.**

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**We Need You**

Maureen was waiting for Roger when he got home. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was pissed. "Why the hell did you let him drink so much? Why the hell did you let him drink at all?" She asked icily, glaring at him. "I can't believe you would let him do that. You _know _how he gets when he drinks!"

Roger looked at her, setting his guitar down and sighed. "Look Maureen, I didn't know you were coming back. I figured if he passed out he would stop crying…" he trailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry isn't going to cover it this time Roger. You wanna know what Mark did when I tried to help him? He hit me!" she cried, tucking her hair behind her ear and showing him the handprint on her cheek. "He hit me because I wouldn't leave him alone. I didn't want him to hurt himself...why did you have to leave? You can handle him when he's drunk. I can't! I can't take it! He's a completely different person…he scares me." Her voice got increasingly quieter as she spoke and her last sentence was a whisper.

Roger was shocked. "He hit you? Mark hit you? Mark wouldn't hit anyone…" he sighed, rubbing his head.

"Well, obliviously he does when he's drunk!" Maureen spat, shaking her head at him. "Look Roger, I just came to get my stuff. I didn't expect to run into a drunk Mark."

"Where are you going?" He asked quietly, biting his lip. "Did you find a new place?" Maureen swallowed, knowing Roger wouldn't like her answer. "I'm moving back into my old place…where I lived with Joanne."

"Is Joanne there?" he asked, immediately concerned. She shook her head. "No. She's in jail waiting for her trial or something…I'll be gone before she gets back. I can't afford a different place and since my name is on the house with Joanne I don't have to pay for anything."

Roger shook his head at her. "You can't go back there. Maureen, you don't even know if Joanne is there. She could have made bail or something. She's a lawyer for god's sake! She knows how jail and the court system works. Please stay here. You can have Collins' old room. Please, I don't want you going back there."

"It's not like you care about me" she said bitterly. "You turned me down…you don't love me" Roger sighed. "Maureen…you know I love you.You're like a sister to me. I just don't love you romantically."

"Then why did you let me kiss you?" She asked, looking at him sadly. Roger swallowed thickly, rubbing his head. "I wish I knew the answer to that…I don't know. I mean, it was a good idea at the time…but now look at what it caused."

"So you're saying everything is my fault?" she asked hotly. "That's what Mark said. I should leave…I shouldn't stay here and cause more problems."

"No! No no no! Maureen, please don't leave…I need you here…Mark needs you here…we both need you here."

She sighed, chewing on her lip nervously. "Okay." She said quietly. "I'll stay. Just for a little bit." Roger grinned, rushing to her side and hugging her tightly. "Thank you." He said, kissing her uninjured cheek carefully. "Thank you so much."

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**A/N: Okay, so this chapter was a little odd. Hopefully everything will make sense soon. Review for me loves!**


	13. The Trial

**Disclaimer: I'm running out of interesting disclaimers. But I still don't own RENT.**

**A/N: This chapter should help you understand what is happening with Joanne. Thanks to all who reviewed, I will be continuing for now. This should be a pretty long chapter, and it might be the last one depending on the feedback I get. **

**And just a warning, I know very little about how trials go, so please forgive me. And yes, Joanne could have represented herself, but then she couldn't question herself, so I made her get a lawyer.**

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**The Trial**

A few days later there was a call at the loft that changed the three roommates' lives. Maureen needed to testify against Joanne, and she needed to testify that day. A lawyer had already been hired for her at no cost. All she had to do was show up.

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Maureen bit her lip and looked at Mark and Roger, clearly terrified that she had to see Joanne again. "I should go change" she murmured, looking at her jeans and t shirt. Both men nodded and watched her walk off.

About twenty minutes later they were at the courthouse. Roger and Mark had changed into some nicer clothes, and Maureen was wearing a skirt. Yes, Maureen Johnson owned a skirt. "Don't worry, you'll be fine…" Mark said reassuringly, squeezing her shoulder. Roger nodded in agreement. "Just answer their questions and tell them exactly what happened." He added as they walked in. The trio went into the courtroom and Maureen was sworn in under oath. The two blondes sat in the rows behind the stands, watching her carefully.

"Ms. Jefferson, how do you plead?" Her lawyer stood up. "My client pleads not guilty" The judge nodded. "Thank you. You may be seated"

Joanne wasn't representing herself for the trial, which Maureen found odd. Then again, everything was odd about this whole case. She sighed, going to sit at the witness stand.

Joanne's lawyer walked over to question Maureen. "You were in a relationship with my client, Ms. Jefferson, at the time of the alleged assault, correct?" Maureen nodded. "Yes, I was."

The man nodded. "Did my client even threaten to hurt you during your relationship?" Maureen shook her head. "No, she didn't."

The questioning went on for a bit before he went, "No further questions." Maureen's lawyer came up and asked her to tell the jury what happened that night. She bit her lip and told the story. By the time she finished, she was in tears. Her lawyer nodded. "No further questions." He said and walked away. You may step down." The judge said. Maureen got off of the witness stand Joanne was brought up.

Both lawyers cross-examined her and then told her to step down. The jury deliberated for a while and then everyone was called back in.

"Has the jury reached a decision?" The judge asked, looking over at the group of people. "We have, Your Honor." was the reply. The judge nodded. "How do you find the defendant?"

"We find the defendant, Joanne Jefferson, guilty of the assault and battery of Maureen Johnson." The judge nodded. "Ms. Jefferson will be sent to the New York Correctional Facility for six months and will receive anger management counseling. Court's adjourned."

Maureen looked over at Mark and Roger, a look of relief on her face. Just then Joanne passed by. "I'll get you for this, you little bitch" she hissed as she was dragged off. Maureen's face fell, looking away from her two friends. She got up and walked over to them. "Let's go…" she said quietly. "I want to go home."

"Okay" Mark said softly, squeezing her hand as Roger wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They got a cab and went home, not saying a word.

Maureen looked at both of them when they got back. "I want to go bed…would you lay with me?" It was common for Maureen to ask one of them to stay with her until she fell asleep, it made her feel safer.

"You want both of us?" Mark asked uneasily, remembering the last time they all fell asleep together. She nodded. "Please…I mean you don't have to but…" she trailed off.

Roger looked over at Mark. "We will" he said firmly, giving him a look. Mark nodded quickly. "Uh yeah…we will." She smiled at both of them. "Thanks guys…it means a lot to know that you care about me so much." They both mumbled their thanks and they all went to her room.

Maureen sighed as she laid down, resting her head on Roger's chest and closing her eyes. Mark smiled slightly, wrapping his arm around her waist and looking over at Roger, who was looking back at him.

"I love you guys…" she murmured, shifting slightly. "I love you too" they both replied. Roger kissed her forehead and Mark kissed her cheek as she drifted off to sleep, safe in their arms.

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**A/N:** **I'm pretty sure this will be the last chapter, but I won't change the status until I hear your feedback. **


	14. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Still.**

**A/N: Okay, I lied. _This_ is the last chapter. Thanks for reading my story. Be on the lookout for more of my stuff because I'm going to start a new series soon.**

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**Epilogue**

Over a month had passed since Joanne's trial, and life had slowly turned back to normal for the trio at the loft. Maureen had become less dependant on the boys, and they no longer had to fall asleep with her, but that was what they were used to, so they still all shared one bed.

Roger had just come home from an audition for a gig and Mark was messing with his camera the day the faithful phone call came. Maureen looked up from her nails and over to the phone. "The phone still works?" she asked with a laugh. "I thought it got cut off because we didn't pay the bill." Roger shook his head. "We paid the bill."

"No shit Sherlock." She said with a laugh, rolling her eyes the answering machine went off. She looked at the answering machine for a moment. "I guess it wasn't that important…" she said, going back to painting her nails.

Roger shrugged. "They'll call back, who ever it was. They always do." He picked up his guitar from where he had set it down and began to play the Musetta's Waltz. Mark held back a laugh and pointed his camera at Roger. "Let's see if you can get that last note." He said, filming Roger.

He looked up from his guitar and flipped Mark and his camera off. "Oh fuck you." He said, laughing. "That's low." Maureen said with a smile. "You can film me Marky." She said going behind him and tugging on his scarf. "Hey!" he protested, turning to face her, his camera still rolling. "What was that for?"

She grinned, clapping her hands. "It got your attention, didn't it?" Mark rolled his eyes as Maureen danced around in circles. "My nails won't dry!" she said with a whined as Roger continued to play music in the background.

Roger snorted, shaking his head. "Next time don't use the whole bottle on your fingers" he called to her. "I did not!" she shot back, waving her hands around in attempt to dry them.

Mark laughed as the phone rang again. "The phone rings!" he cried happily, turning his camera towards their phone. Maureen skipped over to the phone. "We screen…hey! You're not supposed to answer it!" Mark protested as she picked up the receiver.

She shushed him, waving her hand. "Hello?" she asked. "Hold on one moment please." She turned to Mark. "Put the camera away" she said, covering the mouthpiece. He nodded, slightly confused. "And Davis, cut the music, I can't hear." Roger set his guitar down. "Yes mommy." He said with a smirk, going to get a beer. She flipped him off before uncovering the phone.

"Sorry about that. Yes, I am Maureen Johnson. How may I help you?" She paused, listening to the man on the other line. She nodded slowly. "Okay…" she said in a choked voice. "Thank you for telling me…" She paused again, biting her lip. "Okay." She said, nodding slightly. "Thank you." She said again, hanging up.

She turned to Mark and Roger, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Mo, what's wrong? What happened?" Mark asked, concerned. Slowly, she sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly.

"Joanne…she's dead…" she said quietly. "She killed herself and it's all my fault!" she cried, her body shaking. "It's all my fault!" Roger started to say something but Maureen stopped him. "Don't you dare say it wasn't." she said hotly. "She's dead because I got her arrested and she got sent to that stupid place."

Both men looked at her sadly, shaking their heads. "No, it's not your fault, no matter what you say."

"Just go away" she said quietly. "Leave me alone." Both of them left the small living room, but they could still hear Maureen talking to herself, saying "It's all my fault…" over and over again.

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**A/N: The end! Don't hate me too much. Look out for my new story and be sure to review!**


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